74th largest plant in California · 1096th nationally
Edwards Sanborn E1a is a solar power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 293 MW. It generates roughly 297.6k MWh per year — enough to power about 28,346 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 12% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Edwards Sanborn E1a |
|---|---|
| Operator | Terra-Gen Operating Co-Hybrid |
| City | Mojave |
| County | Kern County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 93501 |
| Coordinates | 34.96192, -118.12421 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PV | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 149 MW | Operating | 2022 |
| BESS | Batteries | Battery | 144 MW | Operating | 2022 |
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | California Independent System Operator |
Utility-scale solar farms convert sunlight directly into electricity using photovoltaic panels. They produce zero direct emissions and have no fuel cost, but generation is variable — peaking at midday and falling to zero at night. Capacity factors typically run 18–28% in good locations.